Coping With Cross-Border Labour Flows Within Southeast Asia

By the early twenty-first century Southeast Asia had emerged as a significant hub for the temporary migration of labour — both on an intra-regional and international scale. The shock of the Asian economic crisis in 1997–98 did not put a significant dampener on flows that had increased significantly in the last two decades of the twentieth century. If anything, structural relationships facilitating migration have become more entrenched. At the same time, most governments have sought to exert more control over cross-border labour movements through national policies and bilateral agreements. They have also facilitated certain kinds of movement through regional and multilateral trade agreements. Against this backdrop, this chapter discusses patterns of temporary labour migration, their impact on labour markets and policy initiatives to deal with migration in the region.